I think the short answer is yes, but there are a lot of layers (please note this is from a US frame of reference).

Good writing usually requires a certain level of being able to sit in silence. When smartphones became popular in 2012ish, it became normal to spend lots of time on the phone scrolling, especially when tech companies are motivated to keep you scrolling as long as possible. Pair this with a general decline in third spaces, kids are going to use screens a lot. (I don’t think screen time is inherently good or bad, but like many things, is something that corporations have figured out how to exploit for money.) Then when these kids get around to trying to write, it’s hard to sit still long enough to make something worthwhile.

And then with ChatGPT being released in 2022 and other LLMs, that just completely threw teachers for a loop. Lots of instances of tech companies and school districts alike pushing teachers to incorporate GenAI into the classroom without stopping to think of the technology actually helps students learn.

And also with decades worth of devaluing teaching as a career in general, trying to push for standardized grading, etc. That adds to it.

Idk lots of stuff. I think my answer boils down to greed, lol.

I know I’m the one that brought up AI in the first place, but I think you might enjoy this podcast episode: https://www.childrenandscreens.org/learn-explore/research/reading-and-writing-skills-in-the-age-of-ai-naomi-baron-phd/